A Taiwanese solar energy giant is planning to invest £65m in installing free energy-generating panels on the roofs of UK housing association homes this year. General Energy Solutions (GES), which is based in Taiwan and is one of the largest solar panel companies worldwide, is in talks with landlords in Scotland, England and Wales after completing an £18m deal for panels on 4,500 New Charter homes last year.

However, the company is warning it will not be able to offer these deals after 2015 due to anticipated cuts to government subsidies. It says it is targeting the UK market because of a ‘renewed appetite for free solar’ which is still possible under current rates.

GES is partnering with asset manager Phanes Group to set up Solar Solutions UK, a company which will install solar panels for free – with the energy generated cutting tenants fuel bills. Under the New Charter deal, tenants are expected to save between £200 and £400 annually.

Eric Tsai, GES vice president, said: ‘The Solar Solutions UK partnership is aiming to achieve around 50mw of housing association schemes over the next 12months, an investment of around £65million.

‘We are investing in the UK as we believe there is a renewed appetite for free solar and this is still possible in 2015.’

The company will earn a return through the Feed In Tariff (FIT), a rate energy companies are required to pay for energy generation, both that which is used personally or exported back to the grid.

These rates were slashed in November 2011, rendering many social landlords’ planned schemes unworkable.

There has been a comeback over the last year driven by cheaper panels and installation costs, but Solar Solutions are anticipating further cuts and do not expect the resurgence to last. ‘We do recognise that free solar is not likely to be possible after 2015 given recent drops in FIT and a further fall expected in the autumn. Under greatly reduced FIT rates free solar will not be possible,’ Mr Tsai added.

Robert Beiley, a partner at Trowers and Hamlins solicitors who works on FIT deals, said ‘much will depend on government policy after the election’ if free FIT deals were to continue post-2015.

Last year Macquarie Lending, an Australian bank, announced it was planning to invest £100m in solar panels in UK social housing.